Georgia came up a run short in its bid for a SEC tournament championship, losing to Tennessee 6-5 in the title game in an eighth and extra inning in Oxford, Miss.
Shelby Burchell hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to decide things Saturday night, giving the eighth-ranked Lady Vols (47-10) their second league tourney title.
The ninth-ranked Bulldogs (47-12), seeded fifth in the tourney, couldn’t hang on to a 4-0 lead, built in the first inning on a solo home run from senior Taylor Schlopy and a three-run homer from junior Kristyn Sandberg.
The Lady Vols’ Jessica Spigner contributed a pair of two-run home runs, the latter tying the game at 5-5 in the sixth inning.
Tennessee’s Ellen Renfroe (26-5), who was named tourney MVP, earned the win after relieving her sister in the first inning and pitching 7 1/3 innings allowing one run on five hits. Georgia sophomore Alison Owen (15-5) took the loss.
Georgia freshman Morgan Montemayor, junior Ashley Razey and senior Megan Wiggins were named to the SEC All-Tournament team.
Montemayor went 2-0 with a 2.02 ERA in 17 1/3 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts.
Razey provided six RBIs, including a game-winning three-run home run, to defeat Alabama to advance Georgia into the title game.
Wiggins helped spark the Bulldogs’ offensive output in the tournament by getting a leadoff single and scoring what proved to the game-winning run in the quarterfinal win over LSU.
About the Author
